Kinenbi
by Lady Callista
Summary: One year after Kenshin left for Kyoto, Kaoru fears he will do so again. Instead, they have a heart to heart talk. K&K, in honor of May 14.


**Kinenbi (Anniversary)**

Disclaimer: I don't own Kenshin, or anything relating to it, and have the utmost respect for all the people who created these wonderful characters.

AN: I know stories of this type have already been done, but I couldn't resist doing one. And as it's currently May 14, this seemed the perfect time. Hopefully I can add some uniqueness. I was originally planning to write a lemon, or at least a lime, to honor this day, but this came out instead, and it was far too sweet to make it sour. I hope everyone likes it, please R&R.

Kinenbi 

By Lady Callista

_"Kenshin?" Kaoru called out as she entered the yard after being unable to find him in the house. _

_"Kaoru-dono, I was just about to look for you." Kenshin replied. He sat on the porch, a bundle next to him._

_"Kenshin, what's this?" She asked, pointing to it._

_"It's time for me to be moving on, that it is." He replied, not looking at her. "Although I've found peace here, it is not for this unworthy one to have peace. Sessha must be going on, must do with his life what he can to earn forgiveness."_

_Kaoru collapsed to her knees beside him. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. "What will we do without you?" She finally managed to whisper. 'What will I do?' She wondered in her head._

_"You've all become family to each other." He replied. "You'll take care of each other, just as you do now. You'll be fine." He turned and finally looked into her face. "I was going to just leave a note, but I couldn't leave without seeing you. I need you to understand."_

_"I understand." She said, face blank. She loved him so much, but she couldn't hold him, she couldn't change his mind when he was doing what he thought was right. "Sayonara."_

_"Sayonara." He replied, reaching out and brushing a finger over her cheek. "I will always smile when I think of you."_

_She couldn't move as he stood and left, then whispered. "And I will always cry when I think of you."_

Kaoru bolted upright, sobbing in the dark. Her nightmare had come without warning, although it was one she'd had before. It was always the same, he said he was leaving, and for some reason her dream self didn't go after him. Didn't cry. Didn't ask him to stay. Just let him walk away.

Getting up, she dressed quickly although it was barely sunrise, and went outside. Then she remembered. She knew why she'd had the dream.

It was the 12th year of Meiji, and it was May 14. It was one year to the day since he'd left her, and she was unreasonably terrified that he would do so again. She knew it didn't make sense, there was no reason for him to leave as he had a year ago, it wasn't like it was an anniversary anyone but her would ever remember, but she was just filled with irrational fear.

Quickly going into the kitchen and leaving a note saying that she needed some alone time and was going for a walk, she headed out into the landscape around the dojo, making her way nearly a mile away to a small creek she liked to meditate by. She settled down to stay the day, with the irrational thought that if he couldn't find her, he wouldn't leave.

Back at the dojo… 

Kenshin awoke to sunlight filtering over his face, and lay there for a moment basking in it. It was a year to the day since he'd left for Kyoto, a few months less than that since Kaoru had sweetly welcomed him home. Home. In the time since he'd returned, there had been nothing that had tempted him to leave again.

Quickly rising and stretching away the night's stiffness, he changed out of his yukata into his normal clothes, and moved towards the kitchen, intending to start the day out right by preparing a fine breakfast for Kaoru. Her tears the night he had left her still echoed in his head, and if he had one goal in life other than atoning for his past crimes, it was to never make her cry again.

He'd known it would be hard to leave his friends, and known it would be harder to leave her. Yet nothing had prepared him for the way his heart had broken when he'd heard her begin to sob as he walked away. Only the fact that he was leaving to protect her, that he was leaving so she wouldn't get hurt, had enabled him to walk away. Even if he'd been asked to do so again, he didn't think he'd have that strength.

Banishing those sad thoughts with a shake of his head, mostly because he had no clue what to do with them, he stepped into the kitchen to start the tea and found a note sitting on the counter. Reading it quickly, he let out a puzzled oro. Although she often went out to walk or meditate, she'd never done so before sunrise.

With a shrug, Kenshin started to prepare breakfast, assuming she'd be hungry when she came back.

Hours later… 

She still hadn't come back, and Kenshin was beginning to worry. Although her note hadn't said how long she'd been gone, her and Yahiko were supposed to have a class in a few minutes, and it was unlike her to miss teaching the boy who was both her greatest pride and largest annoyance.

"Where's ugly?" Yahiko asked for the third time in as many minutes.

"This one does not know." Kenshin said for the third time. "You saw her note, you know as much as this one."

"Will you train me then?" Yahiko's eyes lit up. Although Kenshin never had, and Yahiko knew he never would, it was still one of his most fervent wishes. Although he'd admitted long ago that Kaoru's style was actually effective, and he'd learned a great deal just by watching Kenshin fight, he still dreamed of his greatest hero teaching him.

"You already know that answer, that you do." Kenshin said with a small smile, knowing it was not the last time the question would be asked. "Actually, this one was thinking of looking for Kaoru-dono. It's not like her to not keep a commitment."

"Ah, go look for her if you want. I'm sure she's fine." Yahiko replied as he walked over to the bokken racks. "I'll just practice swings, she still makes me do them by the hundreds."

"She does just as many as you do." Kenshin replied with a smile as he went into his room for his sakabato. "With Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu, constant practice is essential."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Yahiko sighed as he began to slash.

Kenshin watched him for a moment, admiring how much the boy had improved since he'd first met him, and then left the dojo quietly. Her note had said she needed some time alone, so he doubted she'd go into the village. Instead, he headed into the countryside, knowing she often liked to walk in nature. She said it helped her think.

He checked a few of her favorite spots as the afternoon wore on, yet he couldn't find her. Finally, as he walked along the creek back towards the dojo, he sensed her up ahead. Moving quietly, not wanting to disturb her but deciding he might as well make sure she was okay since he was here, he walked up until he could see her.

She knelt on the bank of the creek, body relaxed and still, eyes closed. He could see only her profile, but as it looked peaceful and he didn't want to interrupt her meditation he began to leave. Then he noticed a single tear slide down her cheek.

Without thought he moved closer to her. "Kaoru-dono?" He asked quietly.

Her eyes snapped open and her face turned towards him. For some reason he couldn't understand, he saw both fear and sadness in them. "Kenshin…why are you here?"

"This one was looking for you." Kenshin took a hesitant step closer. "Your note was found, but when you missed your training with Yahiko…"

"Yahiko!" Kaoru's eyes got larger. "I completely forgot."

"And that is not like you, that it is not." Kenshin replied. "Although things have been quiet lately, this one wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine." Kaoru replied, yet he still saw sadness on her face. "I just got lost in thought."

"Would you mind if this one sits with you for a time?" Kenshin questioned. "Sometimes it can help to speak of things that are troubling you."

Kaoru looked started. "You can sit if you want, but I don't want to talk, I'm sorry."

Kenshin knelt next to her, setting his sword beside him as he stared into the creek.

Kaoru glanced over at him after they'd sat in silence for a few minutes, but he seemed perfectly willing to just sit there and not speak. Although he always had the right words when he needed them, words to convince people of justice and right, he also didn't feel the need some people did to speak unnecessarily.

"It's such a beautiful day." Kaoru said finally, for she was one of those people.

"That it is." Kenshin replied companionably. "This one can see why you wanted to be out here enjoying it." He paused for a moment, then offered quietly, "But your sadness is not fitting with the beauty of the day."

"Just some sad memories." Kaoru admitted. "It's the day for them."

Kenshin understood immediately. "Some memories are best left in the past."

Kaoru left out an ironic laugh. "That's true, but you of all people know that can be impossible. Just like the happiest times stick with you, the worst ones do as well."

"That is true, that it is." Kenshin admitted. After all, he lived the way he did because he couldn't forget his past. "But such sadness should not touch you, and this one is sorry because he knows its cause."

Kaoru's eyes widened and she turned to face him, but then looked down again. "You did what you felt you had to. What you believed was right. No one can ask more of anyone than that."

Kenshin was silent for almost a minute, amazed as always at her kind nature when he knew what he'd done had caused her to cry. Then he said slowly. "If you are thinking this one will leave again, you need not worry. When we came back from Kyoto, you welcomed me home. And you were right. This is my home now."

Kaoru did look up then, staring into his gentle face. "You mean that…"

"I never say what I do not mean." He replied. "Although this one still has much to atone for, this one would most likely be dead now if you all hadn't come to Kyoto. I'm sure things would have happened differently than they did, but without all the things you did, and the strength you gave to me…"

Kaoru couldn't look away from him, and reached out a hesitant hand to lay it on his knee. "You're the heart of our group, Kenshin. There was no way we couldn't go."

"No, Kaoru-dono, you are the heart of this group." He said quietly, placing his hand over hers. "You are what holds all of us together." He paused for a moment, then broke eye contact and admitted more to her than he ever had. "When I was fighting Shishio, I had already fought so much that day that I was knocked unconscious. I truly thought that would be the end of me. Then I saw the faces of all my friends, and remembered you saying that they were all with me. Then I saw you, making me promise to come back to Tokyo with you. I remembered you crying when I'd left you, and knew that I couldn't make you cry again. I knew that I couldn't leave you again."

He heard Kaoru whimper, and looked up to see tears streaming down her cheeks. Yet they were tears of joy. "You couldn't leave me…"

"No, I cannot." Kenshin replied, taking the hand that was over hers and reaching up to brush his knuckles along her jaw. His eyes widened even as he touched her, and he quickly withdrew his hand and looked away. "But this one is unworthy of…"

"Don't say it." Kaoru said firmly. "You're the most amazing person I know. I know you feel unworthy because of your past, but I've told you since the day I met you that I don't care about that. I care about who you are now. I…I care about you." She said the last in a very quiet voice that contrasted strongly with her earlier tough tone.

"And this one cares for you…" Kenshin still wasn't looking at her. "But…"

"No, no buts." Kaoru said, squeezing his knee slightly in a successful attempt to get him to look at her again. "Why can't that be enough? I couldn't bear it if you left again, and you say you know you couldn't do it. Doesn't that say something about what we are to each other? About what we could be…" Although her cheeks blazed at her forwardness, she knew this was a time where he would not speak first. And this was the best opportunity she'd ever been given to speak to him of her feelings.

"Kaoru-dono…"

"No, not Kaoru-dono." She stressed the honorific. "Please, it's just one more way you distance yourself. And I don't want that distance between us."

"Kaoru." He whispered just her name as his hand came up again to graze her cheek. "You are truly the most amazing person I know. To be able to say a past like mine doesn't matter, that you don't think less of me for it…"

"I can't cook, or sew, I lose my temper easily, and I'm nowhere near as good at fighting as you are. Do you think less of me for those things?" Kaoru said with a small smile.

"That is who you are." He said simply, then his eyes widened as he realized what she was saying. Although in his mind his flaws and shortcomings were enormous compared to hers, he knew how many people had mocked her for what she was. The very things he admired in her were not things all people saw or understood, and he was humbled that she could look deeply enough into his heart to understand him.

"And you are who you are." She said unnecessarily, raising her hand from his knee and placing it over his hand, which was now cupping her cheek. "You're the man I love."

His eyes got even wider, and a single tear ran down his scar-crossed cheek. He'd never thought to hear those words again, from anyone, and now they came from the most important person in his life.

"And I'm the man who loves you." He whispered as he used his hand on her cheek to bring her face closer to his. The look of both longing and awe on her face confirmed that this was her first kiss, and he was humbled that he would be the one to share it with her.

Their lips brushed lightly, and Kaoru sighed lightly at the feelings that coursed through her as she experienced her first kiss.

Although Kenshin kept it light at first, enjoying it as much as she, he found he didn't want to pull back. Now that he was finally kissing her, he wanted it to go on forever. He wanted to show her so much more. He slid his hand from her cheek to cup the back of her neck and tilted her head slightly, allowing for a delicate exchange of breath.

Kaoru gasped at the sensation, and he pulled back slightly, resting their foreheads together for a moment before he pulled back and ran his thumb over her lips. "I love you." He repeated as her eyes finally opened.

"Kenshin…" She felt like she was floating.

He rose and offered her a hand up as he picked up his sakabato and slid it into his hakama tie. "Let's go home."

"Yes, let's go home." She offered him a beaming smile as she took his hand and rose. They continued to hold hands as they slowly walked home, admiring the beauty of the day.

The End 


End file.
